Razor's Edge
by BookWinder17
Summary: When June's sister joins Zuko on his quest to capture the Avatar, things take an interesting turn.


The wind ripped the hair right out of Isono's braid, causing the loose tendrils to whip around her face. She clung tight to her sister as the shirshu bucked underneath them, almost dislodging the poor fifteen year old girl onto the hard ground.

"Can we please slow down? I think I'm getting motion sickness, and it's not like Nyla is going to lose the scent." Isono said, her hand briefly removing itself to right her hair, before quickly grabbing onto her sister again.

June just scoffed. "I'm not going to risk losing any money just because you're a little uncomfortable." She said it like she was irritated, but Isono detected a little humor in her tone, as though she greatly enjoyed the torture her younger sister was going through.

Isono breathed a sigh of relief as a military-type ship came into view. She braced herself as June launched the shirshu onto the deck of the ship. She looked down with amusement on the soldiers as they shouted and ran away.

June held up her whip in plain view, and said with authority, "Get back! We're after a stowaway!"

A young man with a ponytail and scarred face appeared with an older man. "There are no stowaways on my ship." He managed an even bossier tone than June, causing Isono to roll her eyes and sigh. _This one __is__ going to be trouble_, Isono thought.

"Of course there is. Haven't you ever seen a shirshu in action before?" she said in a bragging tone, despite only laying eyes on Nyla a few months ago herself. The scowl on the guy's face portrayed equal parts disbelief and indignation, causing Isono and June to give identical smirks.

As if to prove their point, Nyla bent down and ripped a chunk of metal off the ship's deck and flung it, the men narrowly avoiding it as it slams into the door behind them. The older man and a soldier went into a fighting position while the young man in charge glared at the sisters.

Nyla stuck his head into the hole he had just made. After a bit of sniffing around, a man suddenly ran out of the hole in a panic, only to be whipped by Nyla's tongue, and fall to the ground.

"He's paralyzed," the young man said.

"Only temporarily." June said as she jumped down and lifted the man over her shoulder, a hint of pride in her voice. "The toxins will wear off in about an hour. But by then, he'll be in jail and I'll have my money."

"_Our _money!" Isono loudly reminded her. Preparing for another fast and bumpy ride, she undid her green ribbon that was keeping the remainder of her braid together, and tied it around her wrist. She fluffed out her long black hair, garnering a few looks from the soldiers. She blew them a kiss, but was disrupted by June shoving the thief in front of her on the saddle.

"But how did you find him on my ship?" the young man asked.

June makes like she's going to mount Nyla, then stops and turns to face him. "My shirshu can smell a rat a continent away." She then continues to mount Nyla, and gives her sister a pointed look, leaving Isono to wonder if it's because of the flirting or the money comment.

"Well, I'm impressed," they heard the old man say in a wistful tone. Isono held onto the thief for dear life as June cracked her whip and they raced away.

_ Don't look at me, don't look at me_, Isono silently pleads to the seedy patrons hanging in the tavern. After her and June had deposited the thief to the authorities and gotten paid, the older sister had apparently decided that they had been paid way too much, and promptly took them to a seedy tavern to blow it all on drinks and bets. She then started arm-wrestling a giant muscle-man who, despite his size, was obviously losing.

Isono was sitting alone in a corner, far from the excitement that was her sister in the middle of the room. Her expression was that of bored smugness, like her fighting skills were far superior to everyone else, and she could take anyone on. But inside she was a bundle of nerves, hoping that none of the drunk men would notice her. She was skilled in wielding a katana, but hers was strapped to Nyla. She hadn't wanted to bring it in for fear of attracting unnecessary attention, but she was now regretting that choice, as she wasn't certain she could take someone on barehanded. And since June dragged her here in the first place, she doubted _she _would be much help.

Sure enough, a tall, lanky man with a cup full of _jui*_, and more than enough on his breath wobbled over and sat down in the chair across from her. She started to play with the ribbon still tied to her wrist, and pretended not to notice him. He didn't look very tough, so the knot in her stomach lessened.

"Did you come from the spirit world? Because you look like the Spirit of Beauty," he slurred.

Isono groaned inwardly and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "You caught me," she said, still playing with her ribbon. "I am the Spirit of Beauty. And if you anger me, I shall make you so ugly that people will go blind just looking at you." She finally tore her gaze away from her ribbon to look him up and down. "Not that it would take too much of my power. You're ugly enough on your own."

His face turned bright red, and her smug expression faded when he grabbed her by the wrist with more strength than she thought he possessed and nearly yanked her across the table. He leaned in closer to her face, his foul breath burning her nose, and said, "How about I drag you to one of the back rooms, huh? I'll wear that rudeness right out of you."

A mixture a fear and anger welled up in Isono. What right did this man have to put his hands on her? Trying to think of a way to escape, she tried to wiggle her wrist out of his grasp, but his hand only squeezed tighter. She considered screaming, and darted her eyes over to June, who was still in the arm-wrestling match. She was the only one who would help, but likely wouldn't hear her over the ruckus of the cheering patrons.

She considered her final option, which also happened to be her favorite. It wouldn't take much, just a thought and the flex of her hand, and he would never bother her again. Sure, her and June would probably never be able to come here again without being ambushed, but it would be so worth it...

A wrinkled hand placed itself on her attacker's shoulder, and a familiar voice said, "Now friend, is that any way to speak to lady?"

Isono looked up to see the old man from the ship standing over them, the scarred young man scowling behind him.

The man holding her wrist glared up at him. "Mind your own business, old man."

Said old man took his hand away and began to stroke his beard. "I think it is you who should go on with your business, young man." He spoke non-threateningly, but something about his tome and the look in his eyes said that he wasn't playing around. After a few moments, the man let go of her wrist, and hobbled off, mumbling incoherently.

_Probably off to find easier pray_, Isono thought to herself with a shudder. She turned to the old, and bowed while her massaging her wrist. "Thank you, sir, for your help, even though it was not needed."

He raised a gray eyebrow, a knowing look on his face. "Oh?"

Isono nodded. "Yessir. I had it all under control. I was about to do something right when you showed up."

He smiled at her. "Oh, I think I know _exactly _what you were about to do."

Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth ask him what he meant, when he turned and elbowed his companion in the side. "She's got such manners! You should take some notes, nephew," he said and chuckled.

His scarred nephew's scowl only deepened, and he said, "We're here to speak with the other girl, not this dirt peasant."

Isono scoffed at his words. "What are you, a prince?" she said sarcastically.

He smirked and crossed his arms. "As a matter of fact, I am the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation."

Peeved at this turn of events, Isono pursed her lips and said, "Well then, _Your Highness_, what are you doing here slumming it with us dirt peasants?'

His face turned red, and she half expected steam to come out of his ears. He opened his mouth and took a step forward, ready to explode at her, but was stopped by his uncle.

"Remember why we're here," he said. His nephew gave Isono one last glare, huffed, and started towards her sister.

"Out of my way!" he shouted angrily, pushing through the crowd. "Step aside, filth!"

The old man went after him, followed by Isono. "He means no offense. I'm sure you all bathe regularly!"

"You wouldn't know it by the smell in this place," Isono mumbled to herself.

As they made it to June's table, the young man said to her, "I need to talk to you!"

June's arm didn't even waver as she turned her attention to them. "Well, if it isn't my new friends: Angry Boy and Uncle Lazy."

Isono and the old man laugh, while June slammed her opponents arm on the table, winning the match. The cheering crowd rained gold down on her.

"So, one of your soldiers asking for my permission for my sister's hand in marriage?" she said as she rounded up the gold. Isono just stuck her tongue out at her.

"Your beast trashed my ship. You _have _to pay me back," said Angry Boy.

"Well, I'd love to help you out, but I'm a little short on money," June said, then addressed the crowd, "Drinks on me!" The crowd cheered, and Isono said a mental goodbye to the tomorrow's breakfast.

Isono watched Angry Boy grab her sister's wrist when she tried to take a drink. "Money isn't what I had in mind."

Watching him grab her sister the same way she had been grabbed made Isono angry. She stepped up to him and pushed him away from June. "Watch where you put your hands, _Your Highness_, or I'll hit you so hard on the top of your head, people will call you Your Lowness!"

After recovering from the shock of being shoved and screamed at, he came at her and got right in her face. "How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Enough!" his uncle said, and stepped in between the two. "Why don't we all step outside and talk about this?"

Still fuming, the two teenagers walked to the door, separated by June and the old man.

Once outside, Angry Boy shoved a blue necklace in June's face. "I need you to find someone."

June, who was leaning against Nyla, said, "What happened, your girlfriend run off on you?"

Isono, who stood a fair distance away, snorted and said, "That must make her a runaway slave, then."

He ignored her. "It's not the girl I'm after, it's the bald monk she's traveling with."

"Weird, but ok," Isono said at the same time June said, "Whatever you say."

"If you find them, I'll consider the damage to my ship _paid _for," he said.

June scoffs and motions for Isono mount Nyla. "Heh. Forget it."

As Isono moved across the space, the old man added, "Plus we'll pay your weight in _gold_."

Isono groaned. There was no way June was going to turn away gold. Sure enough, she walked over to the old man, and said, "Make it your weight," she poked his belly much to his delight, "and we gotta deal."

The old man laughed with a hand on his stomach. "You got it! By the way, we haven't had proper introductions." He bowed. "My name is Iroh, and this my nephew, Prince Zuko."

Since June had already walked away and was showing the necklace to Nyla, it was up to Isono to make their side of the introductions. "My name is Isono, and this is my sister, June." She bowed back to him.

"Are you done? Good. Get on!" June said, as she mounted the shirshu. With speed Isono didn't think he possessed, Iroh sped to Nyla and jumped on his back, clutching June close. A grimace showed on the girl's face but she said nothing.

Zuko got up next and grabbed onto his uncle. Isono saw this and came to the realization that she would have to hold onto him. The very idea of touching him did not sound appealing, so when she mounted the shirshu, she resolved to hold onto saddle instead.

Just a few moments into the ride, her arms were wound so tightly around Zuko that he would wake up the next day with bruises.

***jui is the Chinese word for alchohol.**


End file.
